WHISPERING HOPE: Heeding the Still, Small Voice

By Themba Levi J. Mafico

Whispering Hope is a spiritual and motivational book written to help those who, like Themba Mafico's grueling life's journey, feel hopelessly hemmed in abject poverty. Heeding the small, still voice, as its subtitle alludes, demonstrates by many examples how one can overcome poverty, inordinate crises, innumerable political and racial impediments.

Inspired by Elijah's sojourn to the mountain of God where he was invigorated by a small, still voice, the book teaches the importance of periodically withdrawing from the crowd and noises. Mafico's life demonstrates that in stillness one comes to know God, and in waiting that he reinvigorates and mounts up, like an eagle, to the pinnacle of life.

This book narrates a triumphant journey against all odds spurred by listening to one's inner small still voice that continuously sounds words of encouragement, advice, and good cheer to keep hope alive. Without hope, a person in crisis encounters God's silence and threatening noises and a myriad of adversarial situations. But in stillness and quietude, one hears God's still, small voice whispering encores of hope. The hullabaloo, melee, and cacophony submerge God's voice, plunging a sufferer into a hopeless void.

The book is replete with anecdotes, stories, and experiences that teach tenacity, courage, perseverance, long-suffering, endurance, staying the course, and setting one's face unflinchingly like flint inching toward the prize. Moreover, Mafico's story subtly teaches how reliance on the biblical teaching, parental advice and instructions, and hard work lead to a wholesome life filled with confidence and unstinting hope. When facing a unique and difficult situation, a still, small voice is heard saying, "This, too, shall pass." By compelling examples, Mafico has demonstrated the spiritual and mental strength derived from living a disciplined lifestyle filled with hope.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 23, 2023
• ISBN: 9798887514611

Book preview

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WHISPERING HOPE

Heeding the Still, Small Voice

Themba Levi J. Mafico

ISBN 979-8-88751-460-4 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88751-461-1 (digital)

Copyright © 2023 by Themba Levi J. Mafico

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

Introducing Dr. Themba L. J. Mafico

A Life-Changing Experience at the Hospital

The Land between Two Rivers: My Garden of Eden

Missionaries in Rhodesia: God's Undercover Angels

Education: The Missionaries' Precious Gift to the African People of Rhodesia

Learning Life's Lessons through Tribulations

At the Crossroads: Teaching or Church Ministry?

Dilemma Resolved: Heading to Seminary

What Is in a Name?

At Harvard University

Returning to Rhodesia as a Scholar and Public Theologian

The Macedonian Call from the Interdenominational Theological Center

Arrival at ITC

About the Author

Foreword

Get ready for an exciting journey from the rural jungle at the border of Mozambique and Rhodesia to segregated Rhodesian schools in colonial times, migrating to work in urban Rhodesia, continuing to Harvard University in the United States, back to independent Zimbabwe, and finally to the American Black church's premiere seminary, the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, USA. This most interesting, eye-opening, and spiritual tour is led by the distinguished Old Testament scholar, Themba Mafico, as he recounts his life story and spiritual pilgrimage, including stops in some of the exotic, not frequently travelled locales. Mafico gives us an insider's look at these settings. Along the way, we'll also meet some big-name Ivy League and American Black scholars, as well as leaders of the quest for independence in Zimbabwe, and get an indigenous African's take on the United States and the African-American community. Mafico's life story is a powerful testament to what can happen to a life called by God to ministry and teaching.

Mark Ellingsen, PhD

Professor of Church History

Interdenominational Theological Center

Acknowledgments

Be grateful for the doors of opportunity—

and for the friends who oil the hinges.¹

—E. C. McKenzie

As I draw closer to retirement, I keep wondering whether I have fulfilled the teaching mission God commissioned me to do. But from the encouraging letters, memos, texts, and email messages that I have received over the years, I am convinced that I have satisfied the divine commission. The following is a sample of the overwhelming testimonials in my possession from some students, church members, and colleagues to whom I am so thankful for their affirmation.

Rev. Albert wrote, Thank you, Dr. Temba, for all that you taught me in Old Testament! How it has remained relevant to my life and the lives of those I serve. You are truly a gift from Yahweh! Dr. Mark Thompson, a former student and a member of the pastors' pilgrimage I led in 2006, said, As we were driving through Tel Aviv, you took the microphone and taught us that your actions and words must teach the people, touch their hearts, and transform their lives. These three words instantly jolted my mind and transformed my ministry with a new vision. The words teach, touch, and transform are inscribed in our church mission and guide everything we do as a church.

Rev. Dr. Philip Dunston (Pastors' Pilgrimage 2008) wrote, Dr. Mafico (Temba), this [pilgrimage] has been one of the greatest blessings in my life. Thank you so much for allowing God to use you in this way. You are a tremendous blessing to the body of Christ. Similarly, Rev. Dr. Robert Smith noted, Very thankful for your presence and impact in the world. There's only one you, but your influence is global. On May 15, 2012, Dr. Ronald Peters, the eighth president of the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC), also wrote me a memo that included the line Indeed, you are truly a gift to the ITC. These and a few citations included in the memoir are only a small sample of the humbling laudations that gave me some insight into my accomplishments and the fulfillment of my divine calling. Several other people and institutions were pivotal to my career as a pastor, teacher, and scholar, and they are worthy of mention.

Back l-r: My son David, Susan, his wife and the grandchildren: Sibusisiwe. Front l-r: Bongani, Sandisiwe, Sithandiwe and Temba. David Jr. is in S.A.

The ITC, with its dedicated faculty, has nurtured me in ways that are too marvelous to recount. In my previously published book, Yahweh's Emergency as Judge among the Gods, I acknowledged with deep gratitude the pivotal roles that my parents, former university professors, and church members played in advancing my academic, pastoral, and teaching careers. I would like to add to the list my most beloved son, David, who read the draft and gave helpful suggestions; my grandchildren—David, Temba, Sibusisiwe, Bongani, Sithandiwe, and Sandisiwe—who are the greatest joy in my waning years; my most affectionate daughter, Lucy Sibusisiwe Gwata, who typed part of this manuscript; and my friends, Drs. Robert Wafawanaka and Dora Mbuwayesango, for their moral support and encouragement. Gratitude also goes to Drs. Mark Ellingsen, Arthur Mutambara, and Anne and Edward Wimberly for urging me to publish books. To my former students and acquaintances, thank you, for encouraging me in various ways. I also wish to express my profound gratitude to Dr. Violet Chiswa Gandiya (independent scholar), who revised the first draft of this memoir with inestimable dedication. My gratitude also goes to Dr. Funlola O. Olojede (Stellenbosch University) who perused the final draft and offered helpful suggestions.

This book is a tribute to the United Church of Christ (Congregational), to which I owe a great debt of gratitude, and to my wife, Roslyn, for her love, inspiration, and unstinting encouragement.

Introducing Dr. Themba L. J. Mafico

Our chief want in life is somebody

who will make us do what we can.

—Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have known Dr. Themba L. J. Mafico for over four decades since I was an undergraduate student in the Department of Religious Studies, Classics and Philosophy at the University of Zimbabwe in 1980. Over the years, Dr. Mafico has become both my academic father and mentor in whose footsteps I continue to tread. His gripping story, lifelong passion for teaching and learning, commitment to scholarly excellence, administrative experience, and support of students make him an ideal teacher and mentor. This memoir is the story of a man whose hope and passion for life is a priceless gift to his students and parishioners.

In Whispering Hope, Mafico has penned a truly personal and candid memoir. His story begins in Gazaland in the eastern part of Zimbabwe at the border of Mozambique. Here, in his Garden of Eden, Mafico experienced both the beauty of living and subsisting on fertile land and the hazards of rampant diseases and illnesses associated with living on land with no modern amenities. Under the wise tutelage of his parents, he also acquired the lifelong lessons of hard work, perseverance, and courage. These skills were to serve him well later in life. Despite growing up poor, Mafico seized on the gift of education that missionaries brought to then Rhodesia as his passport out of poverty. He describes how the schools, hospitals, and churches built by the missionaries improved the lives of many Africans and even inspired their struggle for independence. For example, a visit to Mount Selinda Hospital, a missionary hospital, to treat an infected tooth literally saved his life. Many Zimbabweans, including our liberation heroes, were all trained at missionary-founded institutions, which also included churches, schools, and hospitals. This memoir is about the power of education and a name.

What then is in a name? Mafico chronicles his search for the meaning of his name because all his siblings had English names, but he did not. That search led to his realization of the theological import of his name. Bekithemba means maintain hope, and his life story is a testament to that enduring hope. This memoir, written from the heart, chronicles Mafico's triumph against all odds in unvarnished detail. It is a story of the hope and trust that he could one day lift his impoverished large family from rags to riches.

Through many obstacles and close encounters, Mafico's journey of hope is guided by his abiding faith in a God who works miracles and wonders in the very nick of time. For example, he secured a high school recommendation letter against all odds, and that event opened the door to his future educational pursuits. Eventually, his rise from abject poverty to the halls of academia at Harvard University was nothing short of a miracle. Drawing from the hard but formative lessons of his life and faced with a serious completion deadline after courses and comprehensive exams, Mafico was able to write and defend his doctoral dissertation in less than a year! This was and still is a rare feat indeed. Hear his testimony with a theological spin: I can see clearly how God ordered and guided my steps (Ps. 37:23) by assembling a group of professors who believed in me, listened as I articulated my dream, and were willing to invest their time to help me realize it.

This achievement enabled Mafico to return home as an Old Testament lecturer at the University of Rhodesia, where he began the long road of mentoring students like me, giving us the same hope he had experienced in his life. Mafico describes how he balanced his roles as a professor, public theologian, and minister of the word when he returned home. In all these endeavors, the lessons he learned growing up continued to serve as his guiding light.

As a former student, I clearly remember his televised passionate debates with other theologians and pastors in the newly independent Zimbabwe.

When Mafico returned to the United States to teach at the ITC in Atlanta, Georgia, after receiving his Macedonian call, he continued to dispense the same hopeful message to his American students. Even in that fateful moment of decision, Mafico was able to lean on his African wisdom and experience to survive, acclimate, support the institution, and teach in a different context. As an African scholar, he also showed his students how to read the Bible from an Afrocentric perspective, thereby enriching their pedagogy.

In numerous scenarios, this memoir chronicles the hope borne out of the vicissitudes of life. Even in the midst of hopelessness and despair, Mafico's faith is fueled by the grandeur of God, who remains visible in the symbiosis of creation. As he attests, one can learn life lessons from a life of hardship and adversity. He writes, The ability to read warning signs for survival in the wild became second nature, not by choice! Trekking through the treacherous paths for several miles to attend secondary school with a wooden box on his head, Mafico never missed a lesson from nature. He writes, I became familiar with the fact that if a bird twittered flying from tree to tree ahead of me, that indicated that the path was fraught with danger. Playful and jovial baboons meant the path was safe, but if they looked somber, the road was dangerous and had to be abandoned. Similarly, a deer, rabbit, or squirrel changing course taught him that he, too, should change his course to avoid impending danger. Having grown up under similar conditions in Zimbabwe and having had the same life experiences of subsisting on the land, I know Mafico is speaking truth from the heart.

As a man of deep faith who reads the Bible with African eyes, his memoir is peppered with biblical references that elucidate his grand narrative. He sees many parallels between the Old Testament and African religion and culture. By connecting the Bible with African culture, he is able to make it relevant to readers familiar with African culture. That same approach is employed in this memoir, where Mafico relates African culture to the Bible. For example, his journey from Zimbabwe to Atlanta parallels that of Abraham from Mesopotamia to Canaan. He writes, I was hearing God saying, as he did to Abraham, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you' (Gen. 12:1). In other places, Mafico describes how the act of calling a name, touching someone, or being present during sickness provided the needed healing power as exemplified by Jesus, who healed the sick by touching them or calling out their name.

Knowing Mafico for over four decades as a tireless and passionate teacher, mentor, and fellow Zimbabwean, I can relate to his stirring and spellbinding story of hope. This memoir will move you to tears and laughter and inspire you in the end. A passionate teacher extraordinaire, Mafico dispenses life lessons, African wisdom, and encouragement on every page. This book is for anyone who might feel lost, hopeless, or in need of reassurance. Anyone who has known struggle will be moved and inspired by this book. Those who have not now have an opportunity to walk in Mafico's shoes and experience the grace of God that is available to all of God's creation. Those who have sat under his wise tutelage and pastoral leadership will get better insight into the life story of a man of hope and how that hope has been the guiding light that continues to inspire and motivate him.

Robert Wafawanaka

Associate Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible

Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology

Virginia Union University

1

A Life-Changing Experience at the Hospital

A single conversation across the table with a wise [person] is worth a month's study of books.

—Chinese Proverb

It had been a beehive of activity at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC). Apart from a string of two-hour lectures I offered, I attended a couple of long meetings where every attendee had a strong circumlocutory opinion to express. By late afternoon, I was bone-weary. I hurried back to my office with my mind set on complete repose. I could hear the creaky sound of the wooden paneled door of my office as it swung close. The long cast-iron key throttled as I bolstered the lock, and silence ensued in this dimly lit office nestled at the rear end of the quaint ITC complex building. The steep and winding concrete stairway to this part of the building invited fewer droves of students and their din from rousing lectures.

So without the percussion of clattering feet, this environment made a haven for a weary soul. I paused behind the locked door, and with one hand still clasped on the door handle, I whipped